Good day !
Congratulations on the beginning of a spring ! Even though it is just calendar spring so far, even though it is below zero behind the window, but it is SPRING !!!
This week the Monday issue of the quotesletter will fill you with joy on Wednesday. Yes, exactly like this - fill you with joy, because today I'll talk about joy and happiness.
Can you recall when was the happiest day of your life ?....
Sometimes we get sad, angry, drown in the depression, and then it seems, that there is nothing to be joyful about, "everything is wrong!", and there is no happiness, and will never be. Sounds familiar ?
Sometimes it happens, that everything is sooooooo wrong, that you can't bear it any more, inside (and outside) is total darkness, and there is no dawn in sight ! And one trouble on top of another - the weather is bad, the colleagues are annoying, the kid is naughty, everyone wants money, and you get sick, and your friend, whom you call to cry about your troubles to, won't pick up.
In that state of mind the one thing to leep in mind is that..
"...this, too, will pass" The parable of the king Solomon's ring
There are several variants of its telling. I like Osho's text most of all.
... the king was looking for a key to manage his mood, looking for something, that would support and help him in the most desperate situations and in the moments of highest triumph. By the advice of a wise old man he was given a ring with an inscription inside,and one condition - this inscription can only be read in case of a total desperation, when all other options fail and there is no way out. And so the day came, when his country was taken over by an enemy, king's army was defeated, he escaped and was riding until he reached a high cliff. There was nowhere to run, there was no way out. And then he remembered about the ring. The inscription said "..this, too, will pass". Indeed, the king stood on the edge of the cliff, the chase was lost in a forest and turned back, the king went back to his palace, to build a new army and free his kingdom.
So, every time, when you lose heart, when it seems that you can't even breath, and there is no way to live further, I tell myself "this, too, will pass" and the silence comes. Breath-in-breath-out, and it passes! Adequate perception returns, memory about sun and joy returns, the breathing becomes even and mind - clear.
And every next time the switching goes quicker, simpler, because I remember and know, that it will indeed pass.
In a different situations (everyone - in their own!) we just forget for a little time, that we're happy. That we are worthy, strong, that we can manage everything, that we love and are loved, that we are needed and we are important. For a moment, for a tiny second we forget, that we're beautiful and unique, and what's most important - that we ourselves love this world and this life they way it is.
"Man is unhappy only until he realizes that he is happy." -Dostoevsky
"If you want to live a life you love, you gotta start loving the life you live."
And it is indeed, THAT SIMPLE ! Just choose to be happy...
How to "get rid" of negative thoughts ? Simple ! Consciously focus on and pay attention to positive things, and this will oust the negative things.
"Your happiness depends only on what you decide to pay attention to" Sarah, Ester & Jerry Higgs
One good technique to get out of a state of panic. When you feel you PANIC, like P-A-N-I-C-!-!-!-!, first, breath deeply, exhale fully, slowly, then inhale fully, slowly, make pauses between inhaling and exhaling. And notice, very carefully things around you. See. Hear. Feel. Smell. Walls... what color ? what texture (touch it with your hand!) ? lamps.. is light on ? is it bright ? air... what smell ? is it cold ? what temperature ? is it clean ? What noise ? what car was that ? If it is easier for you, you can even close your eyes, and just touch things and "listen" to your sensations - cold? warm? what material? new ? old ? long? soft ? It helps.
You can find positive in everything, even in negative situations. Yesterday I almost got hit by another car. We both managed to stop, it seems, 1 cm apart! One would think, it is a total negative - the driver is an asshole, stress, heartbeat, shock, I almost got my car broken! But, WHAT A LUCK! No crash, no scratch. The mood skyrocketed in a second! (of course I learnt my lesson - driving on main road doesn't mean you can relax). For such moments I always have a magic words "on the other hand". When something fails or happens, I always tell myself "well, on the other hand, ..." and then depending on a situation, look for benefits and beauty in what happened.
If you haven't seen the movie "Polyanna" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197775/), I very much recommend to see it. With kids !!! A beautiful manual on optimism. :)
We also often feel unhappy, because we do not what we LOVE to do, but what OTHERS would LOVE us to do (or so we think that they would ;)). Because it seems to us that we're not good enough, if we're as we are and happy about it. It seems that it is improper, might hurt someone, does not correspond to some standard, that we thought out ourselves or borrowed from out parents. And then this "unhappiness" - is a red lamp, sometimes with a siren, screaming at as, that we're going the wrong way, even if we move by all the "life rules".
In fact happiness exists, moreover, it is different for each and every one, it is inside us. When we manage to touch upon our-SELVES, the happiness jumps at us that very moment :).
Thinking of this I created a quote of my own about "how to be happy":
"Do not impress others. Express yourself."
And then heart sings :). The more we do what we LOVE, the better we do it, the more joy and happiness it brings, the more we LOVE it, and the more we do it... and so on, infinitely. :)
And to resume today's happiness session a nice song, reminding us that whatever happens outside, we have one place inside, where we feel at home, and can share this feeling with whoever we wish.
Listen to the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgJBNia250
Sanctuary
There is a place within all of us,
There is a place within all of us,
It is sacred, so free of judgement.
And this is yours to share with who you wish
This is your sanctuary.... sanctuary
There is no boundry , no rule to adhere
There is love, there is hate
There is want, there is need
There is greed ....
You can laugh, you can cry
For you are free on the inside
This is your sanctuary.... sanctuary
Take this light, hold it high, feel it shine.
I know now that here inside ... this is mine.
.... this is yours.
This is your sanctuary....
And this is yours to share with who you wish
This is your sanctuary.... sanctuary
There is no boundry , no rule to adhere
There is love, there is hate
There is want, there is need
There is greed ....
You can laugh, you can cry
For you are free on the inside
This is your sanctuary.... sanctuary
Take this light, hold it high, feel it shine.
I know now that here inside ... this is mine.
.... this is yours.
This is your sanctuary....
Have a joyful week ! Remember about your happiness !
See you after 12th of March.
Next Monday I am on vacation, skiing (for the first time in 26 years!).
With love,
Sveta
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